Machine for harvesting flax and similar plants



July 28,119.42. w. M. HuRlsT ET Al.- 2,291,093 l MACHINE FOR HARVESTING FLAX AND SIMILR PIJNTS- Filed Nov. 1'7, 1941 f Y /NvE/vTaRs W/LBUR MAGRUDER HURST LEONARD M. -K/ //v July 2s, 1942;

MACHINE FOR HARVESTING FLAX AND SIMILAR PLANTS Filed Nov. 1'7, 1941 4.Sheets-Sheet 2 /NvE/vv'ns W/LBUR MAGRUDER HURST LEONARD 'M KLEIN By ,gm-

ATToR/VEYJ w. M. HuRsT ET AL 2,291,093

Filed NOV. 17, 1941 4 SheeS-Sheet I5 msm MACHINE FOR HARVESTING FLAX AND SIMILAR' PLANTS v July 28, 1942.

yJuly 28, 1942 w. M. HURsT :TAL

MACHINE FOR HABVESTING. FLAX AND SIMILAR PLANTS Filed Nov. 17, 1941 4 sheets-sheet 1 /N VENTO/Qs W/L BUR MA GRUDEI? HURST LEONARD M /f/ E/N ATTORNEYS Patented July 28, 1942 MACHINE Foa HARvEs'rING FLAx 'AND SIMILAR PLANTS Wilbur Magruder Hurst and Leonard M. Klein, Corvallis, Oreg., dedicated to the free use oi' the People in the territory of the United States Application November 17, 1941, Serial No. 419,466

Clair/ns. (Cl. 55-66) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described and claimed, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

We hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use of the people in the territory of theUnited States to take effect on the granting of a patent to us.

This invention relates to the harvesting of flax and plants of a similar nature and is more particularly concerned with a machine which can be used for this purpose.

Fiber in flax is produced throughout the entire length of the stalk. If the stalks are severed above the surface of the ground, the ber in the stubble is lost, thereby reducing the ber yield.

. For this reason, it is desirable to uproot or pull the plant out of the ground rather than to cut it as'is customary with wheat and other small grain plants.

It is a common observation that devices which bind flax straw while the straw is in a substantially horizontal position produce bundles with uneven butt ends which are objectionable in subsequent processing operations. A butter of the type used on grain binders does not work well on the root ends of the straw. The vibration of the machine over the ground has a. tendency to even straw vertically disposed, but is ineffective on straw horizontally disposed. For this reason the vertical type of binder is preferred. However, binders have narrow throats into which the stalks are fed in a sheet and mechanical difficulties are involved in delivering the flax straw to the mouths of such binders in a vertical position from a ax pulling machine. Since the width of the swath which can be pulled by each pulling unit is limited, several units laterally disposed must be employed for adequate capacity, giving in prior devices overall widths at the delivery ends of the pulling units that are too large for the throat of a vertical binder when pulleys of adequate size are used for the belts. Consequently, either the horizontal type of binder must be used with the ,prior devices or additional devices must be employed between the delivery end of the puller and the throat of the binder. ADevices of this kind 'increase the number of working parts and complicate design and construction problems.

In view of the above, one o f the objects of this invention is the provision of a machinewhich will uproot flax and other similar plants when operated through a standing crop thereof and which is an improvement over other known machines adapted to accomplish a similar purpose.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a flax-pulling harvester having more than one pulling unit and in which the delivery end is sufficiently narrow to permit its operation in the mouth of a vertical binder.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description vconsidered together with the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment of this invention, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view;

Figure 2 is a plan view from. the line 2--2 of Figure 1 to bring the device in a plane parallel to the picture plane;l

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top end view perpendicular to the picture plane of Figure2;

Figure 5 is a section along the line 5 5 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a view from the line 6-6 of Figure Referring with more particularity to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts, the machine is carried on a suitable fixed frame structure II, upon which is mounted a pair of concentric wheels I2 and I3 in inclined parallel planes, the inclination being toward the rear. The Wheels I2 and I3 are carried for independent rotation on an axle I4 and are held in spaced relation thereon by means ofv a spacing collar I5. The lower wheel I2 rests upon a thrust collar I6 attached to the axle I4. Rollers or pulleys I'I and I8, smaller than the wheels I2 and I3, are mounted in the planes of said wheels, respective- 1y, on an axle I9 thereabove, parallel to the axle I4. The pulleys I'I and I8 are independently rotatable on said axle I9 and are held in their respective planes by means of aspacing collar 20. 'I'he lower pulley I1 rests upon a thrust collar 2|' attached to the axle I9. A belt 22 travels around the wheel I2 and pulley I'I, and another belt 23 travels around the wheel I3 and pulley I8. Between the wheel I2 and pulley I1, the belt 22 on one side is held inward oI the line of common tangency between the said wheel and pulley by mea-ns of an idling roller or pulley 24 on the end of an arm 25 attached to a fixed frame bar 26. Similarly, the belt 23 on the other side is held inward oi the line of common tangency 2 l betweenthewheel I3 and pulley l3 bymeansof vanidlingrollerorpulley21ontheendofanarm 23 attached to the bar 23. l

Onthesideof thebelt22 oppositethepulley 23 a cooperating assemblyI yindicatecigenerally at 23, is disposed comprising an upper-,roller 33 adjacent pulley I1 and in the same`plane therewith, and lower roller 3| near the lower end of the wheel I2. 'I'hese rollers are moimted on the oppodte ends of an adjustable pivoted frame piece 32. The manner of pivoting the frame piece is described hereinafter.' A belt 33 travels around these rollers and is frictionally engaged with the belt 22. An idling roller 33 engages the inner face of the belt 33 on the`outer side above the roller 3| to hold it outward and prevent it oontacting its inner side. Another idling roller 33 engages the inner face of the belt`33 on the inner side near the upper end of the wheel I2 to provide a substantial arc of contact between the belts 22 and 33 on the rim of the wheel I2 where pulling of the stalks is effected.

On the side of the belt 23 opposite the pulley shafts 33 and 33 for rotation therewith. In operation. the belts 33 and 3l drive the belts 22 and 23, due to the frictional engagement, on the wheels I2 and. I3 and pulleys I1 and I3. The sprockets 31 and 33 are connected to driving sprockets 33 and 33 by means of sprocket chains 3I and 32. Tension in these sprocket chains is maintained by idler sprockets 33 and 33 rotatably mounted on the end of arms 33 and 33 to engage one side of the sprocket chains 3I and 32 between their supporting sprockets. The arms 33'and 33 are hinged at 31 and 33 to suitable points on the frames 32 and 32 and springs 33 and 33 tensioned between the arms 33 and 33 and suitable points on the said frames force idling sprockets 33 and 33 against the chains 3I and 32.

The driving sprockets 33 and 33 are xed to the end of shafts 3l and 32 mounted for rotation in bearings 33 and 33. These shafts 3| and 32 are rotated in opposite directions, as indicated by the directional arrows, by a drive shaft 33, through a gearing arrangement ofany desired type contained in a gear box 33. The drive shaft 33 is powered by suitable means (not illustrated).

The frame pieces 32 and 32 are provided with outwardly extending lugs or ears 31 and 33 laterally adjustable by means of shims 33 and 13 having bearings 1I and 12 rotatably supported between collars 13 and 13 of stub posts 13 and y 13. Theseposts are normal to the plane of the assemblies 23and33andaresecuredto,orin tegral with, the xed frame of the machine. In this manner adjustments of the belts 33 and 3I to the face of the belts 22 and 23 are permitted and a degree of pivotal movement is provided about the posts 13 and 13.

Integral with the ilxed frame II beneath the wheels I2 and I3, beams 11, 13. and 13 project forwardly substantially horizontal. 'I'he forward end of the middle beam 13 is provided with dividers in the form of guide rods 33 and 3I cons'A -verging forwardly to a point 3IA. The rear end 7g tion, whereby stalks between said wheel and pulof rod 33 terminates at a point near and in the same plane as the'wheel I2, while the rear end of the other rod 3I terminates at a point near and in the same plane as the wheel I3. Cooperating with guide rods 33 and 3l are lateral guide rods 32 and 33 on beams 11 and 13 converging rearwardly to divert ,a swath of stalks entering between the frame members 11, 13, and 13 and to guide the stalks for delivery between belts 22 and 33 on one side and belts 23 and 3| on the other side. stalks entering between any ot these cooperating sets of belts are gripped tightly therebetween against the periphery of the wheel I2 or I3 as the case may be. Should any foreign bulky material be carried or drawn between the cooperating sets of belts, the assembly 23 or 33 as the case may be would pivot about its post 13 or 13 and relieve the pressure to prevent any damage to the belts. This pivotal movement does not aifect the driving of the belts since a uniform tension is maintained on the -sprocket chains 3l and 32 by the idling sprockets 33 and 33. As the stalks are moved rearward, they are also elevated due to the inclination of the belts, which action tends to pull them out of the ground by the roots.y The uprooted stalks continue to move forward between the gripping belts until they reach the upper end where the belts separate. At this point the uprooted stalks in a vertical position are fed into the mouth 33 of a vertical bindery 33, shown fragmentarily.

The machine is conveniently supported on wheels 33 so thatlt can be driven through the ileld to be harvested by tractor or animal.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: 1. A machine for uprooting standing ilax and other like plants comprising a pair of wheels concentrically mounted for independent rotation in parallel inclined planes, a pulley mounted in each plane above the wheel therein. belts each supported on and frictionally engaging the peripheries of one of said wheels and its corresponding pulley. an assembly adjacent one side of one belt and another assembly adjacent the other side of the other belt, said assemblies having each a belt frictionally engaging its corresponding adjacent wheel and pulley belt, rollers supporting said assembly belts, means for operating said assembly belts over their 'respective supporting rollers to move the portions adjacent the wheel and pulley belts upward in said planes thereby also moving the sides of the wheel and pulley belts engaged therewith in the same direction, whereby stalks between said wheel and pulley belts and said assembly belts will be gripped thereby and carried upward.

2. A machine for uprooting standing flax and other like plants comprising a pair of wheels concentrically mounted for independent rotation in parallel inclined planes, a pulley mounted in each plane above the wheel therein, belts each supported on andfrictionally engaging the peripheries of one of said wheels and its corresponding pulley, an assembly adjacent one side of one belt and another assembly adjacent the other side of the other belt, said assemblies having each a belt frictionally engaging its corresponding adjacent wheel and pulley belt, rollersI supporting said assembly belts. means for operating said assembly belts over their respective supporting rollers to move the portions adjacent the wheel-and pulley belts upward in said planesthereby also moving the sides of the wheel and pulley belts engaged therewith in the same direcley belts and said assembly belts will be gripped thereby and carried upward, idling rollers between each wheel and pulley for holding the belt thereof inward oi the line of common tangency on the side opposite its cooperating assembly.

3. A machine for uprooting standing flax and other like plants comprising a pair of wheels concentrically mounted for independent rotation in parallel inclined planes. a pulley mounted in each plane above the wheel therein, belts each supported on and frictionally engaging the peripheries of Aone of said wheels and its corresponding pulley, an assembly adjacent one side of one belt and another assembly adjacent the other side of the other belt, said assemblies having each a belt frictionally engaging its corresponding adjacent wheel and pulley belt, roll--V ers supporting said assembly belts, means for operating said assembly belts over. their respective supporting rollers to move the portions adjacent the wheel and pulleybelts upward in said planes thereby also moving the sides of the wheel and pulley belts engaged therewith in the same direction, whereby stalks between said wheel. and pulley -belts and said assembly belts other side oi the other belt, said assemblies having each a belt frictionally engaging its corresponding adjacent wheel and pulley belt, rollers supporting said assembly belts, means for operating said assembly belts over their respective supporting rollers to move the portions adjacent the wheel and pulley belts upward inf'said planes thereby also moving the sides of the wheel and pulleybelts engaged therewith in the same direction.- whereby stalks between said wheel and pulley belts' and said assembly belts will vbe gripped thereby and carried upward. and guide means for dividing a swath of standing stalks and leading one part of the swath to thev point between one wheel and 'pulley belt and its cooperating"assembly belt and the other part to thepoint between the'other wheel and pulley belt and its 'cooperating assembly belt.

5. In a machine for uprooting standing flax and other like plants, a iixed frame structure, ay

wheel rotatably mounted on said structure in an inclined plane, a roller mounted in the same plane above the wheel, a. belt supported on and frictionally engaging the peripheries of said wheel and roller; an assembly adjacent one side of said belt, said assembly being-pivoted vto said frame structure; said assembly having also a belt engaged with the mst-mentioned belt, rollers supporting said assembly belt, means for operating said assembly belt overits supporting rollers to move a portion adjacent said rst-mentioned belt upward along the incline and to induce the side of the other belt engaged therewith to move in the same direction, whereby stalks between said belts will be gripped ythereby and carried upward. g

WILBUR MAGRUDERl HURST. LEONARD M. KLEIN. 

